So over to David Beckham, at 37 the last Englishman with a chance of lifting
the European Cup at Wembley this season. Arsenal’s exit last night brought
an end to Premier League involvement, although it is hard to see the English
demise as a contagion.

Arsenal’s problems are very different from those that have cost Manchester
City; Chelsea’s instability far removed from the weakness at Manchester
United. Were there a single great English team at work, perhaps it would
lift the standards of the others. Maybe there is a little collective
complacency among some of the top-four clubs who have